In the toughest 36 mile
hill climb in the world, this custom electric
bike showed it had what it takes to set a new record.

Randy Draper on his
electrically assisted mountain

bike climbing Haleakala volcano,
Maui.

The
road is billed as the world's steepest. It
climbs nonstop from sea level to the peak of the
10,005 feet high volcano Haleakala on Maui, over
a distance of 37 miles. The race up it, called
Cycle to the Sun, was conceived of as the
world's toughest bicycle hillclimb. But in this
year's race, held on August 17th, a rider on an
electric power assisted bicycle, using advanced
batteries and a motor he made himself, has
completed this endurance feat for the first
time, near the head of the pack.

Randy
Draper, the constructor and pilot of the
modified bike, was drawn to the race not as a
competition against human power, but rather as
an extreme test of his unique design approach to
light EV's. Using an unusually efficient 750
watt brushless motor he designed himself, a
modified three-speed hub shifter from bicycle component
maker SRAM, and a 48-volt nickel-zinc Evercel battery
pack, his full-suspension mountain bike is a test bed
where total over-the-road efficiency is the guiding
rule.

While
most familiar commercial electric bikes use a 250 to 400
watt motor and lead acid batteries, Draper wanted more
power for hill climbs, better efficiency at a wider
range of speeds, and much greater range. His 7 lb. motor
design has been used in prototype boats, bikes, and also
is just as efficient as a generator. Draper
uses one in a windmill to add power to his solar array
at his home in Lahaina, also on Maui. At one point he
even made a 10 mile island crossing in a small solar
powered catamaran powered by the motor.

The race
would have been impossible to complete on any commercial
stock e-bike. Not only is the road too steep, averaging
5% in grade but with long stretches over 15%, it is also
far too long. Most e-bikes would have trouble completing
a fourth of it before the batteries died. Even with
better batteries the motors are not designed for long
efficient runs at 750 watts and would overheat. But
Draper figured with his efficient setup and a new type
of EV battery with nearly twice the power of lead acids,
the distance might just be within reach.

With
assistance from Bob Ketell at Electricab Energy in
California, the U.S. distributor of Evercels, Randy got
four of these batteries and grafted them onto his
specially prepared motorized mountain bike. The race
promoters were intrigued and enthusiastic about the
prospect of an electric bike competing alongside the cyclists, though he was asked to start after all the
human-powered entrants.

At the
6500 foot elevation point, the road enters the National
Park, the crown jewel of which is the enormous volcanic
crater towering over a commanding view of the sea and
the islands. An alternative end point of the race is
just inside the Park for those not wanting to test their
lungs and legs at the higher altitudes. "One
park ranger yelled at me to stop at the park toll at the
National Park entrance. As I sped by at 25 mph I yelled
I was in the race."

RANDY
writes: I started at the back of over 250 pro riders
from around the world. Starting from the beach I managed
to get out in front by the 2500 ft marker. From then on
I maintained the lead by close to 4 miles ahead of
everyone until 1/4 mile from the 10,005 ft summit. The
Evercels stayed in the mid 50 volt range until the last
3 miles. At half way the ratio of amps per mile was 16
amps at 20 miles. As the steeper part came up I noticed
I was getting a little less than 1 amp per mile .The
voltage was still about 53 volts and I started loosing
about 1 volt per mile with 10 miles to go. As the
observatory was up on top of a giant hill it was so
close and so far away at a 1/4 mile. With only 36volts
at that point I started walking for about 20 yards using
just enough power to pull my 125 lb bike along.

After
resting for 15 minutes with 1/4 mile to go the 3 in the
Mavic team passed me by to win I think 3 in all, I did
get a picture of them passing. Just for the hell of it I
jumped on my bike and it took off to my surprise and
finished in 3 hours and 3 minutes 58 sec, using 37.334
amp/hours in 37.35 miles. I was working on my new bike
all night to get it ready and never had time to test it
or cycle the Evercel batteries. At the summit about a
half hour after I finished I noticed the voltage at
53volts so I rode it around at the top for another half
hour... Hmm ... those Evercel batteries are amazing!
:-).. Right now I'm missing the awards Ceremony but I
haven't slept in 48 hours.. Was a beautiful day and
caught the eye of everyone I passed in the race and
along the road. It is documented by http://Cycletothesun.net
It is a worlds EV record for climbing steepest road in
the in the world.. as far as I know.12.2 mph was my
average time, mostly in 1st gear.

I
think it's a world record. I now have a 100+range bike
at 20-30 mph 1600 watt peak but rarely use over 750
watts. Got to 10,005 feet from sea level in 3 hours 3
min and 58 sec.

Randy
is looking for a lithium battery manufacturer or bike company to
produce an electric cycle incorporating his 3 speed
system, or to
sponsor his next record breaking project: the volcano in
2 hours!!

(Sram
Dual Drive 3 speed hub) in common with the motor, pedals
and derailer gears, on a separate freewheel will go (up
to 33mph top speed) for 26 miles with no pedaling. You
could go for 35 miles plus, with some pedaling on 14 amp
hour (agm) batteries on any terrain round trip. The
motor or pedal gearing is fully adjustable for speeds up
to 35mph.The motor and controller will operate to 1000
watts at 36 volts (2000 rpm free spinning) or 1250 watts
at 48 volts (2600 rpm free spinning). A single motor
reduction of 8 to 1 on a 26" wheel (at 48 volts)
will take you (22 mph top speed) on a 100 lb. bike with
a 160 lb. rider, at a average round trip speed of 17,5
mph for 26 miles with no pedaling. At a average trip
speed of 17.5 mph you can get 1 mile per 18.5 watt
hour.1 amp hour will get you 2.6 miles at 48 volts. With
using a higher gear you could average 24.5 mph using 24
watt hour per mile. Nimh batteries would give you a
better range and speed.

HUFFY:
A STYLISH RIGID FRAME BIKE

Huffy -
electric cycle

The
same motor, the Sram 3 speed
hub, and no
pedals. This 105
lb. bike set up will go up to 37
mph. At a average speed
of 20+mph the bike will go for 20 miles on 480 watt
hours of power on lead acid batteries. A 50 mile range
bike could be made with the motor in the frame (with or
without pedals) that weighs under 50 lbs, with a light
weight battery pack.